1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cable connection component for electrically conductive connection of a cable, with a union nut which has an internal thread and with a core receiving and guide part which has several notches, the cable having at least one core, and the core insulation of the core ends which have been inserted into the core receiving and guide part being severed by insulation piercing connecting devices which dip into the notches in the core receiving and guide part and which are located in the connection body and make contact with the conductors of the cores when the union nut is being screwed onto a connection body which is provided with an external thread which corresponds to the internal thread. Moreover, the invention relates to a cable connection apparatus and a cable joining apparatus with a cable connection component and a device connection component or a cable joining component.
2. Description of Related Art
German Patent DE 199 51 455 C1 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,884 B1 disclose a cable connection component as part of a cable connection apparatus with which the cores of a multicore cable can be easily connected to the connection elements of a device connection component or a cable joining component without the insulation of the individual cores having to be removed beforehand. In the cable connection component which is described for example in FIG. 6 of DE 199 51 455 C1 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,884 B1, the individual cores of the cable are first inserted into the core receiving and guide part, which is often also called a splice part or splice ring. Then, the core ends are bent and inserted into recesses in the core receiving and guide part which are used as retaining catches for the cores during radial deflection. Then, the core ends protruding through the recesses are cut off so that the union nut can be screwed onto the corresponding external thread of the connection body. When the union nut is being screwed onto the connection body, the insulation piercing connecting devices which are located in the connection body penetrate into the notches which are provided in the core receiving and guide part, the insulation piercing connecting devices penetrating the core insulation of the individual cores which cross the notches and make contact with the individual conductors.
Cable connection or joining apparatus with this structure which are basically already known from German Utility Model DE 295 12 585 U1 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,056 as well as from German Patent DE 198 36 662 C2 have proven themselves to an extraordinary degree in practice for more than ten years and are extensively marketed by Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co under the product name QUICKON in various embodiments (compare brochure “PLUSCON 2011” pages 8 and 9 and pages 92 and 93, of Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co KG, Blomberg).
In the cable connection apparatus known from German Utility Model DE 295 12 585 U1 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,056, the union nut and the core receiving and guide part are two individual parts which are not connected to one another. A rigid connection is not allowable because the core receiving and guide part may not or cannot turn when the union nut is being screwed onto the connection body. The unrealized connection of the union nut and the core receiving and guide part leads to the cable at first remaining connected or joined when the connection is broken after unscrewing the union nut from the connection body, because the insulation piercing connecting devices of the connection body are still “holding” onto the clamped conductors. Therefore, to break the connection after unscrewing the union nut from the connection body an additional disconnection of the conductors which are held by the insulation piercing connecting devices is necessary; this is associated with a considerable expenditure of force.
In the cable connection apparatus according to German Patent DE 199 51 455 C1 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,884 B1, this problem is solved by the core receiving and guide part being axially fixed via a slotted, elastic snap ring in the union nut, the core receiving and guide part being able to turn in the axially fixed position relative to the union nut. This has the advantage that the axial relative motion between the union nut and the connection body which accompanies the unscrewing of the union nut from the connection body at the same time causes a corresponding axial relative movement between the splice part and the connection body which leads to the conductors being pulled out of the insulation piercing connecting devices.
This fixing of the core receiving and guide part in the union nut, in addition to the above described advantage, however, also has certain disadvantages, especially when an electrical cable is being disconnected again and pulled out of the cable connection component. Especially when the core receiving and guide part, as is conventional in practice, also has a tension relief and sealing region in addition to the actual core guidance region, there is the risk that, due to the formation of the tension relief and sealing region and its intentional interaction with the union nut, pulling the electrical cable out of the cable connection component becomes more difficult due to the fixing of the core receiving and guide part in the union nut.
German Application DE 103 29 772 B4 discloses a cable connection apparatus in which fixing of the core receiving and guide part in the union nut has been consciously omitted. The resulting “disadvantage” that, when the connection is broken after unscrewing the union nut from the connection body, the cable first remains still connected because the contact elements of the clamping and connection unit are still “holding” onto the clamped conductors, is compensated in that a support and retaining element is made on the connection body which extends in the axial direction and with a radial distance to the external thread of the connection body, which element is used as an abutment for a tool with which the splice part can be levered out of the connection body. In order to avoid damage on the core receiving and guide part, a groove as an action section for a tool is provided externally on the core receiving and guide part.
In the cable connection apparatus which is known from German Patent DE 103 29 772 B4, first of all, it is disadvantageous that the execution of the support and retaining element on the connection body is associated with additional production effort. Moreover, under restricted installation conditions, mechanical sticking of adjacent components or of a cable on the projecting support and retaining element can occur. Finally, to lever the splice part out of the connection body, an additional tool is necessary; this makes handling difficult.